Memoirs of A Family
by Hiasobi
Summary: The Leaf is made of dysfunctional families and messed up relationships. Watch the children mature, grow up, and change all the ways of the Konoha. Uzumaki, Uchiha, Hyuuga, Hatake, and ultimately Hokage.
1. Part One

Memoirs of a Family

A young Naruto sits at home staring out the window on a stormy night, and wishes he has someone. He too young, and small, and lonely to be left alone. He wants someone, anyone, to be there with him right now, and he wouldn't be picky.

He should have done something stupid earlier today, or pulled a prank, because then at least he would have someone yelling at him and lecturing him, but he wouldn't be alone.

Because young Naruto is scared of the lightening and the thunder and there's no one he can look to for comfort.

: - :

Sakura runs her hand through her hair in front of the mirror. It's pink, and bright, and long enough to touch her shoulders. She's been growing it for a small while, and she wants it to be longer faster, because Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair.

There is a pair of scissors on the desk to her left her as she stares in the mirror. She doesn't touch it, but she looks, because there is a ribbon in her hair holding back growing bangs and her forehead is exposed.

: - :

Sasuke is eating dinner at the family table and he wants to talk to his older brother, because he was everything Sasuke wanted to be when he grew up. Tall, handsome, intelligent, strong, and dangerous.

He's sitting at the dinner table and he's eating and he wants to talk to his brother but his brother is not responding, so he talks to his parents instead.

: - :

Hinata is resting, lying beaten and bruised under the sun. Her breathing is hard and erratic and her body shudders every now and then. There is pain running through her body.

She is alone on the field, her parents are at home taking care of her baby sister, and her instructors have long since left her. Though she hadn't been landed a direct hit to the heart, it still hurts there.

: - :

Neji is practicing by himself behind his house. His punches and kicks are quick and precise. He's fighting an imaginary opponent and he refuses to lose. It's been hours already and his body is tired, but he won't stop.

There is sweat gleaning on his forehead and dripping down to his eyes, but he doesn't wipe it off, because he hates touching the thing that is there.

: - :

Naruto does stupid stuff almost everyday now. He pulls pranks at least once a week, and he smiles and laughs, and runs away before he is caught. He falls asleep in class, and fails exams. He raises his hand and says stupid things that make Iruka-sensei angry.

So he gets a detention, so he has to stay behind to be lectured or to clean up what mess he made, so he doesn't have to go back to the empty place where he lives for another small while.

: - :

Sakura is smart and she gets top marks. She spends a lot of her free time in the library or reading. She is usually seen with a book for company. She doesn't hang out with a lot of people and she has no one she really wants to spend time with.

She and Ino are not on good terms, and her hair is growing longer.

: - :

Sasuke sits at an empty dinner table now, and there is a meal only for one. There is no other noise as he eats except for the ones he makes and the noise coming from outside. He lives in an apartment now and he cooks and cleans after himself.

He still wants to talk to his brother, but he wants to kill him as well.

: - :

Hinata watches Naruto-kun as he is called to the front of the class for the exam to perform 'Henge no Bunshin'. She feels her eyes widened as Naruto-kun give Iruka-sensei a nosebleed, and then bites her lips as he tries to transform into the Third. She watches him laugh it off, and her eyes soften as he tries again.

She finds him brave and wishes she had the courage to do the same.

: - :

Neji is on a mission. Ten Ten is saying something about waiting for back up but he knows he can take this opponent down himself, so he does. Gai-sensei and Lee comes right after he has defeated the opponent and has taken back the item they were sent to retrieve.

He tosses the scroll to Gai and as they disappear into the night, he ignores the angry Ten Ten muttering next to him. They barely enter his vision at all.

_. : - : ._


	2. Part Two

Naruto is fighting, and he is training. He now knows that he has a demon fox inside of him, and he refuses to lose. He now knows why the villages hate him and look at him with dark, cold eyes. He's training to become stronger so that the demon fox can't consume him.

He's going to prove all those people wrong. He's going to surpass them all.

: - :

Sakura is staring in to the mirror. In her left hand she's holding her new leaf head protector. She looks at it and then to her reflection in the mirror. Slowly, she reaches up and undoes the ribbon and replaces it with the forehead protector. She's holding the ribbon in her hand now, and she thinks she'll need to return it to Ino.

When she looks up, she is crying.

: - :

Kakashi is staring down at the three who are now under his command. He has orders to train them and make them warriors, and he does not intend to fail. He asks them to tell him about themselves so he can grasp what to do and if they'll pass.

They are still young and naïve, they trust him when he told them not to eat for the next day. He recalls not trusting anyone when he was at that age.

: - :

Sasuke didn't like his teammates at first, and he hadn't liked the Jounin chosen to instruct them either. These people were too carefree, too lighthearted and not skilled enough. But he sees differently now. Kakashi is strong, Naruto has potential, and Sakura has control.

Now he thinks, maybe, he could use them.

: - :

Hinata is shy, and hesitant, but when Kurenai-sensei comes to pick her up she is ready. She told her that she doesn't need to speak with her family, but Kurenai insists to be polite. Her sister is training with her father when they go to speak with him. Kurenai says she would like permission to take Hinata away, and grandfather says she's welcome to do it.

When they leave, Hinata's head is bowed, but she is glad they are leaving that house behind.

: - :

Neji is training. He is focused and unrelenting in his punches. He is sparring with Lee, but neither of them is pulling their punches and Gai watches the two so they do not go overbroad. Ten Ten watches nervously from the side and she wishes that this was over already.

They're going to take the Chuunin exam this year. Neji is determined.

: - :

Kakashi hadn't wanted to use the Sharrigan, he hadn't wanted to with them there. But he did once, and again. And the three little soldiers under his command are watching him as they fight their own fights. He can feel the ability becoming activated and running through his veins.

He wonders if Sasuke understood the implications.

: - :

It's Father's day and Naruto has bought a present with some of his meagre savings. He wonders if it is appropriate and if he should just go home. He had bought a present for Iruka-sensei because he was as much of a parent that he has ever had. And he smiles as Iruka-sensei meets him halfway and says they'll be going for ramen for dinner.

Naruto is happy, because for now this is enough. But deep down, he wishes that he knew who is father had been.

: - :

Sakura's hair is short and chopped, and her parents had been shocked when they first saw it. But Sakura touches the jagged ends and thinks; maybe she likes it better this way. Dinner is almost ready but she run out anyways, telling her parents she would be back later.

She and Ino were going to have dinner together.

: - :

Sasuke acknowledges that he has gotten strong, but still not strong enough. He recognizes his past fears, and he's tired of being the scaredy cat that Naruto had accused him of. He wants revenge and he wants to ask his brother why.

He needs power, he thinks, and touches the curse seal on his neck lightly.

: - :

Hinata is hurt and is in pain. Her charka is blocked, and her healing is coming very slowly. She's coughing blood and she's in the hospital and she has broken bones. But this is nothing new to her.

She recognizes that she has changed. And that means everything.

_. : - : ._


	3. Part Three

Neji is watching the birds as they fly. There is a part of him that wonders if he'll ever be able to fly like that. He's been told his father didn't die because of destiny, but because he chose to. He's lost.

The hatred is gone but the mark is still there.

: - :

Kakashi stares down at the names craved in stone, and reaches out to trace one in particular. His best friend whom he had lost to battle. He had thought they would be together always. Even if he had known realistically that people died all the time, he had been still young and foolish, he thought the four of them would always pull though together.

But now he is left with only his memories, and the eye, and the son. The memories were private, the eye scarce, and the orphan son was a constant reminder of how they had all failed - and kept on failing.

: - :

The Godaime Hokage is sitting in her office. She's back in the village and has accepted a position she had thought she would never want to. The high walls are lined with portraits, and she's staring up at one in particular. There is only one picture of the man she is staring at, and it is hanging on the wall in front of her.

She recognizes that the Sandaime had made his decision, and she respected it, but still she wishes that there weren't so many secrets. He was still only one boy, she thinks, and his shoulders could only carry so much.

: - :

It's another year, and it's Naruto's birthday again. It's still early in the day, and he's watching the sunrise from his little apartment window in the kitchen. He's sitting in a chair in front of his table. There is no cake here and he just finished singing 'Happy Birthday' to himself. He knows Iruka-sensei will come celebrate with him later in the day, and his friends probably will congratulate him, but it still hurts.

He's still waking up to the same empty apartment every year.

: - :

Sakura is training right now. She accepted that her skill level is not enough to go on the missions she is being sent off to. She's training to become better and more powerful. She was a ninja and she was sick of being underestimated.

Naruto, Sasuke, and her were a team. She was tired of them leaving her behind while they walked side by side.

: - :

Sasuke is standing one a hill, and his eyes are red. He is training, and he is getting stronger. His speed is getting faster, and his skill level is rising everyday. So much has happened, and he's learned to hate being the setback.

He's getting more and more powerful each day but there's an emptiness inside of him, and he doesn't know why.

: - :

Kakashi shares an apartment with his fiancée. There is no kiss welcome home, and he gives no hug to say he's back. They exchange words, and they live with each other. They had put off the wedding for some later time. It was an arranged marriage.

He had not been the one to pick, but had not objected when they chose for him. She was young but had not fought the decision. They had moved in together in an attempt to get to know each other a bit before the marriage as he would be out of the village a lot for missions and she had other activities to take up her time.

They shared the same apartment, but they did not share the same bed.

: - :

Tsuande is visiting her beloved and her brother's graves. Her head is bowed and tears are streaming down her cheeks. The pain never hurts less, no matter how long she grieves. She stays and prays for the two men who had been in her life, and then she walks to the graves of the pervious Hokages.

She means no disrespect as she lays flowers down for the Third, but she thinks the time for secrecy is over. The village cannot handle another surprise, so she prays for courage and forgiveness as she touches the portrait in her office, and walks down the streets of her village.

If he had lived, the man in the picture would have been celebrating his birthday and she was going to see his son to tell him of his father's identity.

: - :

Hinata is musing. She is not as weak as she had been before, but she was still not strong enough. She's sitting on the same hill as she used to train on when she was younger, but this time without any instructors or family members. She's grown. She's older.

She wants the pain in her heart to stop, and wonders how much more she has to give up for her family.

: - :

Neji is walking through the hallways of the main House. He has been requested to see the Head secretly. He has gotten more powerful since the battle with his cousin. His skill has risen far more than thought possible. And the evidence of him being Hyuuga was more than blaringly obvious. He is going to talk with his uncle.

They are willing to announce him as the Heir.

_. : - : ._


	4. Part Four

Naruto is more mature now. He sees and understands things he hadn't before. He knows that the village hates, and he knows why. He knows that some would never get over their prejudice against him, and he doesn't care. He knows that no matter what he does, not everyone will accept him, but that's fine because no one is perfect.

But it's Father's Day again, and this year he knows who his father had been. But the happiness and joy was mixed in with the pain and the hurt. It's dark, and late, and it's pouring rain. Naruto is standing on the open roof of the academy staring at the stone figures of the past Hokages.

He hasn't moved from the spot since the morning, because it's father's day and there is no picture of his father except for the one in the Hokage's office, which he hasn't earned the right to go into yet, and the stone carving in front of him.

He's looking up at the Forth, and asking 'Why'. About what, he doesn't know. He doesn't understand how the village could love the man, and hate the son, for something his father had done.

: - :

Sakura is growing up. She's not a little kid anymore, and her childishness behaviour is slowly being left behind. She's getting better results in her missions, and in her training. Her money, which she had been saving up, was amounting to a fair amount and she would soon be able to buy herself something very nice, she just doesn't know what it is yet.

Her friends were growing up too, and the girls talked to her more often. They were all slowly leaving their childhood behind, and walking forward in their path of life. The men were leaving more and more often for missions, and the women were starting to talk of houses.

It was almost their marriage time. Sakura doesn't know what to do. She used to say she would marry Sasuke, but she doesn't know now. So many things have changed, and it just wasn't the same anymore.

: - :

Sasuke is wandering down the street of the village. He's walking down Market Lane, and it is as busy as ever. The streets are crowded with people and it reminds him of the days when the Uchiha sector of the village had been much the same. He walks by the police station and he's doesn't have a reason for being here, neither does he have one for leaving.

He's just wondering because there's a hole in his heart that's slowly getting bigger, and he doesn't know what to fill it with.

: - :

Hinata wanted to go home.

She had always thought home was where your Father was. Home was where your Mother was. Home was where your family lived and loved, and maybe hated. Home was home, no matter how screwed up and messed up and undeniably whacked the circumstances were.

Home was where they loved you, in the end.

Hinata opened the shoji doors and walked through the empty hallways, lingering in places where her childhood memories were. Yet, her heart was heavy.

She didn't know where home was, but home was not here.

Taking a few steps at a time, Hinata left the Hyuuga house behind.

: - :

Jiraiya stands leaning on a training post. The training ground is damp, and muddy, and deserted. His arms are crossed and he stares down at a puddle. He sees the white haired, face-streaked man in the reflection, and somehow wishes for more.

Jiraiya remembers days when he hadn't stood alone on these grounds and how he had been weaker but so much happier. There had been three of them, and one teacher. Him with his jokes, her with her innocence, and _him_ with his smarts. They had been the misfits, brats, completely untameable and absolutely perfect together.

They hadn't expected to succeed, not that far. They had been teased, underestimated and pushed down. But that was okay, because they had each other. When the Third chose, it didn't matter Orochimaru wasn't chosen but then he wanted Jiraiya

– 's student.

And the three pieces of the puzzle drifted apart. The pieces of that beautiful reality shattered. And then Orochimaru left. Then he left to drag him back. Then she left because they weren't going to come back for her.

And everything just broke apart from there.

Jiraiya has his back to the Tablet. He can't bring himself to look at it. On it is the name of his teacher – mentor – father. He can't look at it because a part of him doesn't want to look on the name and realize again what is lost and will never be regained. And also a part of him is ashamed, of the man they called Professor, who was smart enough to know who not to pick – but not for the right reasons.

: - :

Neji is still training, even though he's powerful enough, and others acknowledge him as being powerful enough. The sun is setting behind him and he was there when the sun rose up.

In his heart is the picture of the small girl who shyly hid behind her father's kimono when she had first met him, and in his mind is the image of the same girl older, more mature and the slowly growing look in her eyes that get stronger everyday. And all he can think about is the hurt, betrayed, yet weary look in her eyes that she would probably wear when she hears of the news.

Neji's hand hurts because he just smashed it into a tree and the tree comes tumbling down, but his heart still aches more than his fist.

: - :

Hinata already knew before the whispered took over her life. There had been all the signs.

She knows they are watching her, waiting for a reaction, but what is she supposed to do? It wasn't within her power to change their minds and it wasn't her place to tell them what to do. She had never wanted to be their Heir and Leader.

So she lives each day passively, going about her activities. She ignores the stares, and looks and whispers. There is nothing left to be done, all she can do is wait. But she doesn't lie to herself, and she knows, that everything that she had been building towards, was crumbling around her.

She also ignores the outstretched hands and words of comfort, because they don't really understand what and there is no comfort to be found in being second to something again. And they watch her, helplessly frozen as she falls into herself more and more each day. The walls are made and grow higher with every passing moon. There is something to be done, but they just don't know what it is.

: - :

Naruto spends his free time in the forest. It is very easy to get lost there, and sometimes, he just needs to know that what he's feeling on the inside is what's around him. He jumps from tree to tree and they all start looking the same at some time or another. And sometimes, the demons inside are the only companions you want.

He feels like he should be heading towards a goal, or maybe realize that he was wandering somehow, but he wasn't. He was at a stand still. He's standing still on the path he has chosen to walk, and there is a fork in the road. There are two choices and he doesn't know which road to pick at all.

: - :

Sakura's hair is getting longer, it's long enough to tie back in a ponytail but still not as long as before. She's looking in a mirror again, and as she brushes her hair this morning and ready to put it back with a hair tie, she stops. She realizes that it might never be that long again, because she finds long hair a hassle these days.

She doesn't have enough time to look after it, and neither has she made time for it. The brush lowers slowly to the table as she looks at the growing girl in the mirror, and she feels a pang on the inside.

She's moved on from something without really knowing.

: - :

Sasuke comes back everyday and walks through deserted streets and rows on rows of empty houses. There are small bits cobwebs starting to collect on some of them, but Sasuke shields away. There is only one house in use within the whole neighbourhood, and if some of the other places were falling into shambles, it didn't really matter.

The streets are silent and the noises of the market seem so far away. The moon is the only light available in the night, and he doesn't get lost even if there is no light coming from the windows of the rooms he walks past. His feet knows the way and he can't afford to get lost, because there is no candle lighting the way to the door he's heading for.

He knows. If he needed a candle, he'll have to light it himself.

_. : - : ._


End file.
